Overhang Gauge - Do I have mine setup correctly (pix)

can anyone tell me if i have it correct based on these pix? if i need to take more pictures at a different angle for example please let me know. greatly appreciate if any of you are able to help me.

 

From those pics, it looks too far back.

I use a combination square to do this (v careful not to touch the stylus) & as you can see, the tip should be level with the end of the gauge.

 

hi drewan

i have spent so much on accessories and such for my turntable. i just bought a torpedo level. id rather not buy another thing for tt. but i do appreciate your suggestion .

i adjusted it again. does this look right now or close to it?

 

Put your index finger on the top of the head shell and thumb under the tip of the gauge and pinch together so that the stylus meets the gauge's triangular indent. Adjust position of cartridge in head shell until the stylus is aligned with the indent. Then check alignment of cantilever with a protractor.

 

With the gauge sitting flat on a counter, the front of the gauge edge should be directly below the stylus tip.

If you want to use your level usefully, put the gauge's front flush with the 90 degree sharp edge of a countertop or glass tabletop.

Then hold the level's long thin side against the counter next to the gauge, and hold it level it so it is straight up and down.

When you look from the side with one eye, the gauge front should line up with the level's edge, and so should the tip of the stylus.

Otherwise, you can put anything else with a sharp 90 degree angle, like a ruler, or even a box of cereal, on the counter next to the gauge, and when you look from the side, similarly you should see that the stylus is plumb bob straight above the front edge, using the line of the object behind.

You can set a digital camera with a flat bottom on the counter, taking a picture from the side, lining the lens up with the front edge, and just see that the picture shows the needle directly above. You can see in your last image, the only one slightly useful, you are taking the picture from behind the edge.

 

Agree with the posts above, but I would recommend a flat 90° object as verification over a photograph. Since most people are using phones today with wide angle lenses there is a strong dose of distortion even after the software correction. I’d hesitate to say if your alignment is right from photos or that you should use photos yourself.

FWIW, I use the instructions from KAB, which recommend laying a flat razor against the gauge as my final check. This is assuming you have good fine motor skills and won’t damage your stylus in the process. 8/10 times the alignment from my optical check against a flat object is on the money to the razor check, but it’s good to have the more accurate check.

My ultimate advice is to take your time. The gauge is quicker than a protractor but it may take a while to get it right still. These gauges were originally designed for headshells that forced the cart into 90° alignment, so the more modern type of headshell you have adds another wrinkle.

 

On those latest pics, we can still see the front edge of the gauge so it's hard to tell if it's exactly right. It does look better though.

 

If your cartridge is aligned correctly the overhang will be right on. The overhang on my TT should be 10mm. When I measured overhang it was almost 22mm. After I purchased a Baerwald alignment protractor I found all my cartridges were too far forward in the head shell. By sliding the cartridges back in the head shell to achieve the correct alignment the overhang is now 10mm. For the last fifty years I've just been eye balling them. These alignment protractors really do work !

 

I would use a protractor to get correct overhang. The overhang gauge you have (as well as me) is to get a decent starting point but not exact enough to be the 'final word' in setup.

 

You need to specify your turntable. That is the Technics Overhang Gauge, which is correct for most Technics turntables and some from other brands, but not correct for some non-Technics turntables.

 

I find every time I spend time to do this accurately, I have to re-do it based on the adjustments needed when using an alignment protractor

 

I thought the alignment protractor was the one to over ride the overhang. The overhang specified on both my tables is less than the final distance from Stevenson and Baerwald.

 

Not sure what you mean exactly but when you start combining alignment methods and comparing them odds are you are just going to get confused unless the different methods are based on the same standard. A lot of times gauges meant for turntables don't use Stevenson or Baerwald, but rather a proprietary alignment that is similar, though not quite the same as those. If you do a lot of messing around with the Conrad Hoffman program, you can figure out if the proprietary method is closest to one of those and what groove spacing standard (e.g. DIN, IEC, Typical) was used. Even then you may find a .5 mm difference or so.

Most people just need to pick one way to do their alignment and just stick with that. Bear in mind some TT arms and headshells may not support Baerwald.

 

That's why I use the vintage Technics single screw headshells on all 4 of my TT's. They align the cart parallel to the headshell perfectly every time.

 

Was gonna mention this. Its an LP120, so not Technics exactly. Wonder how close it is.

 

It's always been my take that the overhang gauge is for the casual owner to do a quick setup without much fuss or a protractor. A person who cares enough to ask the internet if they are using the overhang gauge with precision should probably skip ahead to the protractor.

 

For Technics it should be the same as a proper protractor though.

 

I don't disagree, it's just when we're at the point where we're posting pictures asking if it's perfect, I'd suggest either caring more (protractor) or caring less (trusting the gauge despite its imprecision). Note I never used anything but the gauge and an index card when I used a Technics and felt I got great results.

 

I've yet to see an overhang gauge that will allow for setting the proper offset angle. They might get the distance correct for what the manufacturer intended which with many Japanese tables is the Stevenson distance. If you want truly accurate a proper protractor is required, whether it be arm specific or an adjustable such as a Feickert universal.

 

Let me clarify, I only use a protractor. Out of curiosity I checked where the overhang wound up. That’s where I saw the difference in the two methods.

 

A protractor is more accurate, but it is not necessary to twist the cartridge in the headshell with Stevenson alignment on many arms, assuming the cart was made correctly and the cantilever is straight. Note that I'm talking about S-arms designed for Stevenson or straight arms with an angled headshell designed for Stevenson.

 

Similar to the combo square in concept for this purpose, but much more compact and lighter -- I use this depth gauge:
That 52mm overhang gauge gets you right where you need to be for the AT 120. You are good to go........

 

AT LP120 there are conflicting stuff on the internet about spindle to pivot distance. Guy on VE did all the measuring and made a protractor. I found it to be the best.
Here is the VE thread. Perfect setup for AT-LP120 USB Turntable- Vinyl Engine

 

They are great and make achieving a Technics alignment even easier. Unfortunately they do not play nice with modern threaded hole cartridges like the VM95 from AT and 2M from Ortofon. The part number is SH-98 for those in the market.

 

I use a combination square too - easy to get it very accurate.